Scientists discover eerie new jellyfish in the deepest part of the oceans (Video)

Ethereal and amazingly beautiful, jellyfish are diverse in number and form and have interesting abilities like being able to clone themselves. What's more, we keep finding out about fascinating jellyfish superpowers as well as new jellyfish species, as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists did last week during an excursion probing the Marianas Trench, the deepest part of the world's oceans. Check out this surreal video footage of this mysterious, never-before-seen jellyfish:

Scientists believe this animal belongs to the genus Crossota, a group of jellies that does not have a sessile polyp stage; all phases of their lives are ocean drifters. They also believe this animal is an ambush predator – note the posture it had assumed in the first half of the video: its bell motionless with its tentacles outstretched like the struts of a spider’s web, waiting for something to bumble into them. The red canals, they suggest, appear to connect the bright yellow objects, which may be gonads.

NOAA/Video screen capture

The encounter was made by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Okeanos Explorer, which will be delving further into the Marianas Trench and beyond in the following weeks, on the lookout for undiscovered features like hydrothermal vents, mud volcanoes and seamounts, as well as new species. You can watch the live feed of the dives here, and keep up to date with their latest logs and videos here.